COMMENT: Government needs to dig deep to find extra cash

So it’s worrying to report, as we do today, that in a survey done by the Food Standards Agency, 73 per cent of the chickens tested from supermarkets and other sellers tested positive for the campylobacter bug.

Of course, most people know the risks with chicken and are careful with its preparation and cooking.

And the latest advice includes not washing the bird in your kitchen as it could spread the bug further.

But the good news is that if it’s properly cooked there’s no risk.

And as butchers from around The News area tell us, the better the chicken you buy, the less chance there is of causing food poisoning.

But while supermarkets have found themselves in the firing line, the traditional butchers in the high street are making the point that their wares can be of a higher standard.

Steve Dean, owner of Bransbury Park Butchers in Eastney Road, Eastney said: ‘The supermarkets pay so little for the chicken and I think the animal welfare goes out the window.

‘We can say to our customers that we can track our chicken right back to the farm.’

So while we don’t want anyone to be alarmed by the statistics released in the report, it’s certainly food for thought.

If nothing else, it should make us think about the meat we eat and where it comes from.

And while supermarkets provide a valuable service to our communities, let’s not forget that there are alternatives.